Enoch Chilemba, University of the Western Cape, Doctoral Candidate

And they keep saying, 'My President, My Emperor, and my All': Exploring the antidote to the perpetual threat on Constitutionalism in Malawi

The paper evaluates Malawi's position whereby the person occupying the President's office continues to a mass much power to the extent of being considered ro be the centre of everthing a case of 'My President, my Emperor, and my All? Indeed, the President has the potential to among other things victimise the constitutionally established office of the vice President, 'tamper' with Judiciary and the legislative, circumvent the constitutional requirement to declare assets, disregarded court orders, influence government contracts to be awarded to ruling party sympathises, want only fire top government official who are on contract only to pay them huge sums of money in compensation and maintain 'tight' control over chiefs and local government authorities thereby diluting 'meaningful' decentralisation.

About Enoch Chilemba
A national of Malawi, is a lecturer in law at the Faculty of Law, University of Malawi, Chancellor College. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) (Honours) degree from the University of Malawi in February 2009. He further obtained his Masters of Laws (LLM) degree (Human Rights & Democratisation) with the University of Pretoria, Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, in 2011. He got admitted to practise as an advocate before the High Court, Supreme Court and subordinate courts of Malawi in 2009. He worked as Senior State Advocate with the Ministry of Justice & Constitutional Affairs of Malawi between February 2009 and September 2010, providing legal advice to government departments and representing government in civil and criminal matters. He has been with the Faculty of Law of the University of Malawi, Chancellor College, since October 2010. Currently, he is a doctoral candidate and doctoral researcher at the Community Law Centre and the Centre of Disability Law & Policy at the Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape. He is also involved in research on litigation of health rights in Malawi; implementation of inclusive education for disabled children in Malawi and South Africa; and implementation of rights of persons with disabilities in Africa, among others.

 

Draft conference paper can be accessed HERE. Note this is draft only not for quotation purposes.